Tom Pukstys

WHO: Tom Pukstys. WHAT: U.S. javelin champion. WHERE: A 1986 graduate of Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Pukstys, 28, first threw the javelin on a family visit to Lithuania when he was 13. He rose to national prominence in 1990 as a senior at the University of Florida after notching the second-best throw in the country that year. Pukstys finished 10th at the 1992 Olympics and set the current U.S. record of 281 feet 2 inches the following year at a meet in Finland. He won U.S. titles in 1993 and 1995 and...

Seven years after he retired, 15 years after his peak seasons, Tom Pukstys' name still appears four times among the top 20 U.S. javelin throws. Only one compatriot, Breaux Greer, has thrown the javelin farther since Pukstys set the last of his six U.S. records in 1997. And only one U.S. thrower has topped the collegiate record Pukstys set for Florida in 1990. Such statistics are a testament to how good Pukstys was. They also are a testament to the sad...

First Tom Pukstys beat Tom Petranoff's record. Then he beat Petranoff himself. It was quite a weekend for Pukstys, 25, a javelin thrower from Hickory Hills. Saturday in Kuortone, Finland, Pukstys had a throw of 281 feet, 2 inches, breaking the American record of 280-1 set seven years ago by Petranoff, who was not at the Kuortone meet. Sunday in Lapin Laani, Finland, Pukstys threw 261-3 to beat Petranoff, who now competes for South Africa. Those achievements were good enough that...

The College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn may seem like an unusual place to find a two-time Olympic javelin thrower who has won six national championships and twice been named an NCAA Division I All-American. But DuPage is where Tom Pukstys set the national junior-college javelin record back in 1988 with a throw of 248 feet 5 inches. It's where he trains four days a week as he seeks to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. And it's the place where his old school honored him Wednesday.

Tom Pukstys, the American record-holder in the javelin, has been offered a tryout as a pitcher by the New York Yankees. Pukstys said Sunday that he had recently spoken to George Steinbrenner and the Yankees' owner invited him to Legends Field in Tampa for an evaluation in October. Pukstys, 26, said he hoped to "fit in as a closer" with the Yankees. The last time he pitched in a game was in 1985 at Stagg High School in Palos Hills. But he has practiced pitching every year...

Tom Pukstys is pitching his talent. The javelin thrower from Hickory Hills and Stagg High School hopes his strong arm will get him an Olympic medal and a tryout as a baseball pitcher. "I've been talking to (New York Yankees owner and U.S. Olympic Committee Vice President) George Steinbrenner," Pukstys said Friday after his throw of 277 feet 11 inches ranked him fourth among the 12 qualifiers for Saturday's final. "He told me to give him a call when I get back from Europe, where I'll...

Seven years after he retired, 15 years after his peak seasons, Tom Pukstys' name still appears four times among the top 20 U.S. javelin throws. Only one compatriot, Breaux Greer, has thrown the javelin farther since Pukstys set the last of his six U.S. records in 1997. And only one U.S. thrower has topped the collegiate record Pukstys set for Florida in 1990. Such statistics are a testament to how good Pukstys was. They also are a testament to the sad...

Tom Pukstys, the American record-holder in the javelin, has been offered a tryout as a pitcher by the New York Yankees. Pukstys said Sunday that he had recently spoken to George Steinbrenner and the Yankees' owner invited him to Legends Field in Tampa for an evaluation in October. Pukstys, 26, said he hoped to "fit in as a closer" with the Yankees. The last time he pitched in a game was in 1985 at Stagg High School in Palos Hills. But he has practiced pitching every year...

Running relaxed and having fun, all four U.S. relay teams easily advanced to Saturday night's final rounds at Estadi Olimpic. Not wishing to repeat the problems of 1988 in Seoul, where the men botched handoffs and the women had to borrow a reserve runner who just happened to show up at the practice track to advance, the United States used conservatism to ensure they would advance. Coaches Mel Rosen and Barbara Jacket instituted a safe handoff policy that carried the women's and the...

WHO: Tom Pukstys. WHAT: U.S. javelin champion. WHERE: A 1986 graduate of Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Pukstys, 28, first threw the javelin on a family visit to Lithuania when he was 13. He rose to national prominence in 1990 as a senior at the University of Florida after notching the second-best throw in the country that year. Pukstys finished 10th at the 1992 Olympics and set the current U.S. record of 281 feet 2 inches the following year at a meet in Finland. He won U.S. titles in 1993 and 1995 and...

Tom Pukstys is pitching his talent. The javelin thrower from Hickory Hills and Stagg High School hopes his strong arm will get him an Olympic medal and a tryout as a baseball pitcher. "I've been talking to (New York Yankees owner and U.S. Olympic Committee Vice President) George Steinbrenner," Pukstys said Friday after his throw of 277 feet 11 inches ranked him fourth among the 12 qualifiers for Saturday's final. "He told me to give him a call when I get back from Europe, where I'll...

A marathon. A coin toss. A hammering. That is what the leading men in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials expect in Saturday's semifinals and final. Friday's first two rounds, run before 12,319 at the Olympic Stadium, produced nothing to suggest any certain conclusions about who will earn the three Olympic team places. "The drama is going to continue every time we step on the track," said Leroy Burrell, world-record holder (9.85 seconds) at the distance.

A marathon. A coin toss. A hammering. That is what the leading men in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials expect in Saturday's semifinals and final. Friday's first two rounds, run before 12,319 at the Olympic Stadium, produced nothing to suggest any certain conclusions about who will earn the three Olympic team places. "The drama is going to continue every time we step on the track," said Leroy Burrell, world-record holder (9.85 seconds) at the distance.

First Tom Pukstys beat Tom Petranoff's record. Then he beat Petranoff himself. It was quite a weekend for Pukstys, 25, a javelin thrower from Hickory Hills. Saturday in Kuortone, Finland, Pukstys had a throw of 281 feet, 2 inches, breaking the American record of 280-1 set seven years ago by Petranoff, who was not at the Kuortone meet. Sunday in Lapin Laani, Finland, Pukstys threw 261-3 to beat Petranoff, who now competes for South Africa. Those achievements were good enough that...

There they were, a modern-day version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, two carefree teenagers at the beach near the Pukstys family summer cottage in Union Pier, Mich. Tom Pukstys began tossing stones into a placid lake. Throwing things has always been his passion, and his best effort this day would see a stone skip across the lake 40 times. Believe it or not, it was a feat for Ripley's. "My best friend, Chuck Zickus, jumped up and said I must have the unofficial world record," Pukstys said with...

Running relaxed and having fun, all four U.S. relay teams easily advanced to Saturday night's final rounds at Estadi Olimpic. Not wishing to repeat the problems of 1988 in Seoul, where the men botched handoffs and the women had to borrow a reserve runner who just happened to show up at the practice track to advance, the United States used conservatism to ensure they would advance. Coaches Mel Rosen and Barbara Jacket instituted a safe handoff policy that carried the women's and the...

Tom Pukstys knows where he is going. Trust him. "I was once told I have a date with destiny, and I believe that," he says. "I can`t lose a month, let alone a week or even a day. I have certain things to do, a plan. People might not understand now, but they will when I get there." Although Pukstys lives in Hickory Hills, he is a stranger in a strange land. He's the best young javelin thrower in the United States, but the event is not included in Illinois high school track and field meets.

Tom Pukstys was on the phone from his apartment in Gainesville, Fla. Pukstys was talking about his friend and guest, discus thrower Romas Ubartas, and translating questions and answers into Lithuanian so Ubartas could do a makeshift interview. "Romas is one of the most laid-back people I`ve ever met," said Pukstys, the javelin thrower from Hickory Hills. "He is innerly satisfied with his accomplishments. He is very quiet and doesn`t show his emotions very much." The caller...

Tom Pukstys was on the phone from his apartment in Gainesville, Fla. Pukstys was talking about his friend and guest, discus thrower Romas Ubartas, and translating questions and answers into Lithuanian so Ubartas could do a makeshift interview. "Romas is one of the most laid-back people I`ve ever met," said Pukstys, the javelin thrower from Hickory Hills. "He is innerly satisfied with his accomplishments. He is very quiet and doesn`t show his emotions very much." The caller...

There they were, a modern-day version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, two carefree teenagers at the beach near the Pukstys family summer cottage in Union Pier, Mich. Tom Pukstys began tossing stones into a placid lake. Throwing things has always been his passion, and his best effort this day would see a stone skip across the lake 40 times. Believe it or not, it was a feat for Ripley's. "My best friend, Chuck Zickus, jumped up and said I must have the unofficial world record," Pukstys said with...